विषकन्या

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Classical Sanskrit विषकन्या (viṣakanyā); equivalent to विष (viṣ, “poison”) +‎ कन्या (kanyā, “unmarried woman; virgin”).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ʋɪʂ.kən.jɑː/, [ʋɪʃ.kɐ̃ɲ.jäː]

Noun

विषकन्या • (viṣkanyā) f (Urdu spelling وِشکنِّیا)

1. (historical) Visha Kanya (a kind of assassinatress of ancient India, said to seduce and then poison their targets)

Declension

Declension of विषकन्या (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	विषकन्या viṣkanyā	विषकन्याएँ viṣkanyāẽ
oblique	विषकन्या viṣkanyā	विषकन्याओं viṣkanyāõ
vocative	विषकन्या viṣkanyā	विषकन्याओ viṣkanyāo

Further reading

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “विषकन्या”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha
• “وشکنیا”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৱিষকন্যা (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬶᬱᬓᬦ᭄ᬬᬵ (Balinese script)
• বিষকন্যা (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰰𑰬𑰎𑰡𑰿𑰧𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀺𑀱𑀓𑀦𑁆𑀬𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ဝိၑကနျာ (Burmese script)
• વિષકન્યા (Gujarati script)
• ਵਿਸ਼ਕਨ੍ਯਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑌿𑌷𑌕𑌨𑍍𑌯𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦶꦰꦏꦤꦾꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂱𑂭𑂍𑂢𑂹𑂨𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ವಿಷಕನ್ಯಾ (Kannada script)
• វិឞកន្យា (Khmer script)
• ວິຩກນ຺ຍາ (Lao script)
• വിഷകന്യാ (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᡳᢢᠠᡬᠠᠨᠶᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘱𑘬𑘎𑘡𑘿𑘧𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠢᢔᠠᢉᠠᠨᠶ᠎ᠠ᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧒𑧌𑦮𑧁𑧠𑧇𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐶𑐲𑐎𑐣𑑂𑐫𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଵିଷକନ୍ଯା (Odia script)
• ꢮꢶꢰꢒꢥ꣄ꢫꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆴𑆰𑆑𑆤𑇀𑆪𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖰𑖬𑖎𑖡𑖿𑖧𑖯 (Siddham script)
• විෂකන්‍යා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩑𑪀𑩜𑩯 𑪙𑩻𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚮𑚊𑚝𑚶𑚣𑚭 (Takri script)
• விஷகந்யா (Tamil script)
• విషకన్యా (Telugu script)
• วิษกนฺยา (Thai script)
• ཝི་ཥ་ཀ་ནྱཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒱𑒭𑒏𑒢𑓂𑒨𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨁𑨯𑨋𑨝𑩇𑨪𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Compound of विष (viṣá, “poison”) +‎ कन्या (kanyā̀, “maiden, virgin, girl”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋi.ʂɐ.kɐn.jɑː/, [ʋi.ʂɐ.kɐj̃.jɑː]
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ʋi.ʂɐ.kɐn̪.jɑː/

Noun

विषकन्या • (viṣakanyā) stem, f

1. (Classical Sanskrit) Visha Kanya (a kind of assassinatress of ancient India, said to seduce and then poison their targets)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of विषकन्या

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	विषकन्या (viṣakanyā)	विषकन्ये (viṣakanye)	विषकन्याः (viṣakanyāḥ)
accusative	विषकन्याम् (viṣakanyām)	विषकन्ये (viṣakanye)	विषकन्याः (viṣakanyāḥ)
instrumental	विषकन्यया (viṣakanyayā)	विषकन्याभ्याम् (viṣakanyābhyām)	विषकन्याभिः (viṣakanyābhiḥ)
dative	विषकन्यायै (viṣakanyāyai)	विषकन्याभ्याम् (viṣakanyābhyām)	विषकन्याभ्यः (viṣakanyābhyaḥ)
ablative	विषकन्यायाः (viṣakanyāyāḥ)	विषकन्याभ्याम् (viṣakanyābhyām)	विषकन्याभ्यः (viṣakanyābhyaḥ)
genitive	विषकन्यायाः (viṣakanyāyāḥ)	विषकन्ययोः (viṣakanyayoḥ)	विषकन्यानाम् (viṣakanyānām)
locative	विषकन्यायाम् (viṣakanyāyām)	विषकन्ययोः (viṣakanyayoḥ)	विषकन्यासु (viṣakanyāsu)
vocative	विषकन्ये (viṣakanye)	विषकन्ये (viṣakanye)	विषकन्याः (viṣakanyāḥ)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “विषकन्या”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 995.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “viṣakanyā”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “विषकन्या”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press